Anosmia is a lack of smell. It can be temporary or permanent. It can be the result of an ordinary infection. Most often it occurs as a result of the death of the olfactory receptor neurons. Patients who suffer from it, for example, complain that the food does not smell – they may lose weight. How to live with anosmia? And can it be cured? Loss of smell is also one of the hallmarks of COVID-19. It turns out, however, that a lack of smell does not always mean a coronavirus infection.
- Anosmia means that we do not feel the smells of food, body odors of a loved one, or, for example, the smell of burning. Lack of smell, while not as dramatic as loss of sight or hearing, is a serious problem.
- Drugs that help people with anosmia are glucorticosteroids or antiallergic antihistamines
- Congenital anosmia creates less problems than acquired anosmia – it does not reduce libido or eating disorders
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
With a nose for a fifth
Charles lost both his sense of smell and taste. He did a lot of research – computed tomography, magnetic resonance, even twice. The research found nothing. Consultations, visits to ENT and neurologists did not bring the expected results. Nose septum surgery did not help. Karol was already very tired of trying to return to the world of fragrances. He could make a pact with the devil to smell strawberries or perfume again. Doctors did not order him any more tests, they ordered him to wait for a miracle. One of the doctors theorized that the loss of smell could have been caused by Lyme disease. Karol decided to diagnose the disease, but it did not give any hope for a cure for the lack of taste and smell. What’s next?
Bed trouble
Anosmia, or loss of smell, can affect one or both nostrils. This is the case, for example, when we have one polyp in our nose. And although the lack of smell is not as troublesome as the lack of sight or hearing, anyone who thinks that smell is a secondary sense is wrong.
Anosmia causes not only the lack of the smell of food, but even problems in sex – the sense of smell is very necessary in this area of life. People with congenital anosmia, who must have no sense of smell from an early age, will not have problems with libido. Such people are suspected of having a genetic anomy – very often the disease occurs in several people in the family. The disease is often accompanied by Klinefelter’s syndrome or Kallman’s syndrome. Patients with congenital anosmia cannot count on too much from doctors. The situation is similar in the case of loss of smell with age – here, too, medicine is powerless.
If, on the other hand, anosmia is associated with a cold or sinusitis – its symptoms pass as the underlying disease is cured. Corticosteroids or antiallergic antihistamines will help here. After surgery to remove polyps or straighten a distorted nasal septum, there is a good chance that you will smell again.
It is estimated that he suffers from anosmia 1 percent population. It is estimated that the chances of the smell return in patients are statistically equal 30 proc. If more than ten months have passed since the onset of anosmia, there is practically no hope for the smell to return.
Anosmia empirically
In order to find out if we have a smell problem, it is enough to repeat the experiment of professor Jayant Pinto, who conducted experiences on 3000 women and men. All respondents are 57 years old, which means they have exceeded the age after which the senses of almost everyone begin to dull. The respondents were carefully questioned about the stimulants used, eating habits, education and habits. Then they were given (under their nose!) Five markers, soaked in the scents of rose, animal skin, orange, fish and mint. Each of the respondents was to combine the perceived smell with the image.
On the basis of this concise study, the “smugglers” were assigned to the following groups:
- 0 – 1 errors – normosmia (sense of smell normal),
- 2 – 3 errors – hyposmia (reduced olfactory efficiency),
- 4 – 5 errors – anosmia (lack of olfactory efficiency).
The study was resumed after five years in order to re-check the health of the respondents. It turned out that 12 subjects died during this period. Most in the group with anosmia. So how does smell affect our lifespan?
Scientists are careful …
… And they don’t take Jayant Pinto’s research too seriously. Although there is a possibility that there is some unexplored, mysterious factor that causes a loss of smell or a complete absence of it, having a comprehensive impact on our health. Perhaps the olfactory nerve, which is the only cranial nerve that comes into contact with external factors. He is the first to fail in a situation in which the body is exposed to harmful factors. Therefore, the sense of smell can play an important role in the diagnosis of many diseases. And although it is not known yet what diseases are directly related to the loss of smell – anosmia can be a signal and a motivator for comprehensive diagnostics.
Jennifer Stamps, a Florida researcher, found that anosmia precedes Alzheimer’s disease. She did a simple test with peanut butter in the lead role. She pushed the butter thirty centimeters under the subject’s nose and checked centimeter by centimeter at which exact distance the patient would smell the left aroma and from which right nostril. Alzheimer’s patients had a hard time finding the aroma through the left nostril. There is no such difference with other types of dementia. Application? We are waiting for talented young people who will discover the links between our sense of smell and health problems.
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